The Keck School's Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (MMI) has a faculty with diverse research interests, specializing in animal virology, microbial genetics, molecular and cellular immunology, cellular differentiation, control of protein synthesis, and chemical carcinogenesis.

The department is located on the Health Sciences campus in the Elaine Stevely Hoffman Medical Research Center and the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, which includes a Hospital and Research Institute. It is well equipped for research in microbial physiology and genetics, electron microscopy, virology, cellular and molecular biology, genetic toxicology, and immunology.

Specialized facilities are available for advanced research in animal virology, eukaryotic cell biology and cellular differentiation, molecular and cellular immunology, microbial and molecular genetics, control of gene expression, control of protein synthesis, and chemical and viral carcinogenesis. The Keck School of Medicine maintains a core microchemical facility that is available for protein microsequencing and synthesis of peptides and oligo-nucleotides